The Life of a Shepherd
by rhcpftw
Summary: There's never really a dull moment within the Shepherd ranks. A collection of different support conversations, dealing with everything from friendly banter to parental advice.
1. Midnight snack

**Disclaimer: **Fire Emblem was created by Shouzou Kaga, developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo. I own nothing nor do I claim to. Please support the official release.

...

The barracks were, for once, quiet. To say that the Shepherds were normally a busy lot would be an understatement; there was always something going on. There'd be people talking in the camps, folks carrying who-knows-what from someplace to another and overzealous warriors trying to improve their skills, be it with swords, spells or tactics, against target dummies or one another.

But not tonight, and Gaius loved it.

He and his ragtag bunch of heroes had emerged victorious from a pretty nasty conflict near their headquarters not too long ago, so when all was said and done, they had all wordlessly headed 'home' for some well-earned rest.

Gaius walked silently through the corridor towards his room, careful not to make any sound and get cursed, slashed or punched as a result. Unlike the others, Gaius had at least had the energy to take a proper bath before calling it a day; who could go to bed drenched in blood, sweat and plenty of dirt? Seriously, some people...

However, once he got to the door he noticed something peculiar; the room was dimly lit. Someone must've lit a candle, but who, and why?  
I don't suppose I've finally gotten a fan? Gods know Chrom has his fair share, it's time for the rest of us to get some attention. Gaius thought with a smirk before he opened the door.

Inside was Nah, sitting by the creaky old desk, engulfed in a book, seemingly unaware of his presence. Gaius cleared his throat to rectify that.

She practically flew out of the chair and spun around. "Gods, you scared me! What are you doing here anyway?"

Gaius eyed her suspiciously. "I believe that's my question, little future child. This is my room."

Nah groaned and fell back in the chair. "Okay, first of, my name's Nah! N-A-H, and don't you dare make fun of it. Secondly, I believe these are my quarters."

Without saying a word, Gaius approached the bed, picked up the pillow and showed her a secret stash of different kinds of sweets. He gave her a triumphant grin. "I don't s'pose those are yours too?"

Nah bit her lip and stayed silent for a while. "I believe I must've entered the wrong room. I apologize, I'll be going now." She said quickly, as if it would hide her embarrassment. She picked up the book and prepared to make her leave.

"You know you could stand to relax every once in a while." Gaius said, sitting down in the chair Nah had just vacated. "You're always so serious. Come on, do you really have to read on a night like this? We just won a fight, after all."

Nah stopped before she reached the doorknob. She turned around and gave the sweet tooth a look of disbelief. "We only JUST survived because everyone here is always giving it their all! I can't afford to relax or stop trying to improve if I want to change the future!"

Gaius shrugged, apparently not concerned with the semantics. "Sure, but you won't be able to help us if you die of a heart attack."

"Why you..!" Nah began, but stopped herself when she realized she had almost started screaming. "How can you act like you're not afraid of the apocalyptic future that's constantly hanging over our heads?! Are you unfazed by all that's happening here?! People are DYING, Gaius!" She continued in an almost-hissing whisper.

Gaius started unseathing his weapons and put them all on the desk and yawned. "We can't be everywhere at once, and we've got so many bloody heroes here that it's impossible for us to fail. Thinking about everything we can't do won't get those people back."

Nah just looked at him. "H-how can you be so confident?"

Gaius gave her a roguishly charming smile. "Easy. I trust my friends."

The young Manakete closed her eyes and nodded, and Gaius expected her to walk out and finally let him sleep, until he noticed tears falling down her cheeks.

"Uh, are you alright there, buddy?"

Nah opened her eyes and quickly tried to dry her cheeks with her sleeves, but gave up and instead let the tears fall. "No...I mean, yes...I mean...I don't know!"

Gaius softly put his hand on her back and lead her to his bed. Once she sat down, he brought out some old candy wrapper for her to dry her nose with. It would have to do for now.

"I-I'm sorry!" Nah croaked. "It's just that...even though I've always tried to do my best at everything, no one has ever respected me! I grew up with people who hated me even though I protected them simply because I'm half-Manakete! I just recently got to meet my mother for the first time and found out she doesn't care about anything other than playing. And it always feels like, just because I can turn into a dragon, I have to live up to everybody's expectations and, and..."

Gaius listened to the crying girl's sad, slightly incoherent story, but offered no response immediately. Instead, he reached for something under the pillow and picked up what looked like a candy bar protected by sickeningly pink paper.

"Here." He said, offering her the piece of candy. "Trust me, it's good."

Nah eyed him and the bar skeptically, but accepted it anyway. Once she had started eating, Gaius began talking.

"Look, I won't pretend to know what kind of crap you've been through, nor will I try to compare it to my own, but what I damn sure know is that you're here with us now, and you're a valuable asset to the team."

Nah's chewing slowed down as she appeared to be mulling something over. "No one even knows I exist outside of battle. I'm always in my room all alone, reading..."

"Yeah? Well maybe that's because you keep turning into a dragon or something? People might not know exactly what you look like." Gaius offered, sitting down on the bed next to her with his arms crossed. He wasn't used to playing psychologist, but he thought he was doing okay so far.

"Well...I guess that could be a reasonable explanation..." Nah admitted.

Gaius lay down with his hands behind his head and his feet still on the ground. "Look, why don't you try socializing a little? Go talk to Lucina or something, you're from the same timeline after all, right?"

Nah nodded absent-mindedly. "But what if I don't study enough? What if I cause us all to fail or..."

"Listen, cupcake." Gaius interrupted, not sure where the nickname came from but he found it oddly fitting. "It's true that we all have our fair share of work ahead of us, and that we all have to pitch in, but you'll kill yourself if you keep it up like this. Even Chrom enjoys at least an extra glass of wine every now and again. This is the sort of thing you won't survive without surrounding yourself with friends."

"But I..."

"Cupcake, I swear we will survive even if you forsake your studies for a few days."

The barracks grew quiet again as Nah appeared to be thinking about what she had been told. She tried going for another bite of the candy bar, but realized she had eaten it all already.

"Oh, sorry! I ate it all!" She burst out, placing her hands on her cheeks dramatically.

Gaius just chuckled. "It was good, wasn't it?"

Nah smiled for the first time that night. "Very! Thank you so much!"

"Don't mention it. Now then, kiddo, do you feel any better?" He asked .

She gave him a nod and another radiant smile. "I can't thank you enough! It's like I can finally breathe normally again...or something. I think I needed to get that out of my system."

"Damn straight you did." Gaius agreed happily, her smile proving to be contagious. "How about you come back tomorrow and tell me all about your social escapades? If your stories are any good, I might even share some more of my sweets."

"How can I say no to that?" Nah asked as she stood up and headed for the door. "Hey, thanks, I mean it. I'll see you tomorrow, Gaius!"

"Sleep tight, cupcake."

And just like that, Gaius was alone again. The sound of Nah's footsteps eventually disappeared, and all he could hear was the wind blowing through the trees outside. He sighed contently; he'd be lying if he said he wasn't proud of himself. He was used to making the world a better place by killing evildoers, not helping good guys, but it sure felt nice to add something good to the world instead of just removing the bad.

And with that thought, he drifted off to sleep with a smile on his face.

AN: Well, that was fun to write. What did you guys think? Who should I write about next?


	2. Gamblers of the Round Table

This was it. After a long, merciless struggle, all of his hard work would finally pay off. He'd just have to be careful not to slip up, and he'd claim his reward...

"Fold."

"I fold."

"I'm afraid I'll have to fold as well."

"Oh Gods, you cannot be serious!"

The blue-haired prince slammed his fist on the table and then put his palms on his face as he leaned back in his chair.

"Chrom, from one dashingly handsome noble to another, I feel like it's my obligation to inform you that your poker face is abysmal." Virion said sagely, pulling out a pocket mirror and fixing his hair, something he usually did when he wanted to look superior.

Ignoring Virion's probably-unintentional compliment, Chrom stood up and slammed the table once more. "My poker face is absolutely flawless!"

"It's not." Lon'qu informed him bluntly, counting the many gold pieces he had won that night.

"And you're also a bit of a sore loser." Stahl said shyly.

The prince took a deep breath and sat down again. "Fine, let's go again."

"No." Lon'qu said.

"Why not?!" Chrom asked in a slightly louder tone than intended.

"I'm pretty sure it's a crime if we take any more of your money." Stahl said, munching on some dried beef. "I mean, you're royalty after all."

"And some of us prefer something a little more...challenging, even if I appreciate the extra coin." Virion said.

Chrom held up his hands defensively and sighed. "Just...tell me what I did wrong."

"Besides looking like a kid who had just been handed a candy apple whenever you got good cards?" Lon'qu asked wryly.

"Or that you looked ready to cry whenever you had bad cards?" Stahl filled in with a chuckle.

Chrom's face started to get red, and it had nothing to do with his previous anger. "I don't really think it was THAT obvious..." he muttered.

Virion patted his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. "Oh, I'm afraid it was, especially to elite poker players like us. You see, card games are a lot like women..."

"Virion, I'm begging you not to finish that sentence!" Chrom pleaded.

The noble laughed merrily. "Why, my prince, you should enjoy yourself some more! Maybe your horrible temperament and skills stem from pent-up sexual tension? You should use that beautiful face of yours and talk to someone of the fairer sex, have you never noticed how we only manage to recruit the most beautiful women? Really, I'm genuinely surprised that..."

"Okay, I'm sorry I ever asked!" Chrom said, cheeks even redder than before.

The four Shepherds were quiet for a few moments until Stahl spoke.

"Wait, what do women and card games have in common?"

Virion's face lit up as Lon'qu and Chrom looked at each other and sighed in unison. The archer put an arm around Stahl's shoulders and prepared for what was inevitably going to be a long, exaggerated tale of his experiences with women, until a few cards fell out of his sleeve and landed on the ground. He quickly tried to pick them up, but Lon'qu was faster.

"Hm, what have we here? Aces? Kings and queens?" Lon'qu muttered as he inspected the cards.

"Oh my...I wonder how those ended up in my sleeve..." Virion said as innocently as he could, facing the angry gazes of his gambling opponents.

"You son of a pegasus! No wonder I couldn't win, you've been cheating this entire time!" Chrom said threateningly as he walked towards Virion, who was ungracefully backing away.

"Now now, let's sort this out like gentlemen and..." Virion began, but turned around and started running as fast as he could before he finished the sentence. Chrom immediately gave chase, leaving two laughing Shepherds behind.

"You know, the fun part is that he wouldn't even need to cheat. I mean, Chrom is really, REALLY bad at poker..." Stahl said, offering Lon'qu some dried beef.

"Agreed." He said with a small smile, accepting the piece of meat. "Still, I guess we should follow them and make sure they don't go overboard."

Stahl nodded. "Right behind ya!"


	3. Laughter in the Woods

Gerome couldn't believe he was doing this. Well, maybe, considering he had reacted less than gentlemanly to the girl's hard work, but it still felt, for the lack of a better term, weird. Fortunately, there was nobody around to see him.

"Hoy there, Gerome! Truly it is a remarkable coincidence that our paths cross here of all places!" A voice Gerome quickly identified as Owain's said.

Oh gods no.

The wyvern rider decided not to face his occasionally-insufferable friend in the hopes of being left alone. Gerome normally preferred to spend his time in either solitude or with Minerva, but this was the first time in his life he actively prayed to the gods to be left alone.

Unfortunately but not unexpectedly, Owain got closer to him, wondering why his comrade didn't respond nor turn around. "Hello? Is something ailing you, my friend? If that is the case then fear no more, Owain's got your back!"

Gerome quickly took off his mask and turned around, since he doubted Owain would ever leave him in peace. He did briefly consider running, but came to the conclusion that Owain would see that as some sort of challenge. "W-Why hello there, Owain. Nice weather we're having."

Owain eyed him suspiciously. "Wait a minute...you never stutter, you never complain about the weather since you claim to be able to fly no matter what, and what's more, you rarely take off your mask, especially not in social situations."

Why did the fool have to be so clever sometimes?!

Owain scratched his chin as he appeared to be deep in thought. "There is only one possible explanation for this; YOU'RE AN IMPOSTOR!"

Hold on, what?

"Tell me, fiend, what you have done to my friend, or I swear I will cut you down in the name of peace and justice!" Owain half-shouted, pulling out his sword.

Gerome held up his hands defensively. "Owain! Calm yourself, it really is me!"

"Prove it, or I shall give thee the punishment of a thousand lifetimes!" The swordmaster replied.

Ignoring the nonsensical nonsense the fool was spouting, Gerome was thinking of ways he could convince him to lower the blade. "Should I talk about our latest trip to Ylisstol, you know, when we were supposed to purchase supplies for the army, when you accidentally..."

Owain immediately sheathed his blade and flailed his arms around. "Okay okay okay! I believe you! Just...don't remind me of that!"

"No please, do go on." A third voice suddenly said. The duo turned around and saw Inigo leaning against a nearby tree with a straw of grass in his mouth.

"...How long have you been standing there?" Gerome asked cautiously.

"Long enough to know you both have some embarrassing secrets." Inigo answered with a grin as he walked towards them.

"We all do." Gerome replied simply.

Inigo shrugged. "True enough, I suppose, but Owain has a point you know, you never take off your mask. I'm willing to bet it has something to do with that."

Gerome looked as if he had been physically struck. "I-It most certainly does not!"

Before he could react, Owain snatched the mask which Gerome held absent-mindedly in his left hand.

"Are these..." Owain began, eyes wide as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"...Butterflies?" Inigo continued with a grin.

The two laughed for almost a minute straight while Gerome's cheeks turned a dark shade of red. Inigo's legs weren't able to support him anymore, and he fell down on the ground. Owain had to hold on to a nearby tree to be able to keep standing up.

When the laughter died down, Owain asked Gerome with a hoarse voice "why butterflies? I'd have imagined you'd go for...I don't know, wyverns?"

Gerome tsked, the color on his cheeks fading. "Morgan made me a few masks, and I thought I should humor her. Clearly that was a mistake."

However, much to his surprise, both Inigo and Owain gave him sympathetic looks. "Morgan, huh? Yeah...I should've known." Inigo said, standing up again and brushing off the dirt on his clothes. "That woman sure knows how to get her way, it seems."

Owain looked at the closet-dancer in shock. "Not you, too?!"

Inigo nodded dramatically with his eyes clothes. "She forced me to take her out on a date."

Gerome frowned. "I thought you'd be ecstatic? You're always philandering, after all."

"Normally, yes, but she insisted on going to the most expensive restaurant I could afford. My meager pay for the week is already all used up!" Inigo said with a sigh, sitting down on a nearby boulder in defeat.

Now it was Gerome's turn to laugh, albeit with more restraint and class. "I'm sorry, but you really deserve it."

Inigo gave the wyvern rider a small smile. "Oh, I suppose I do. I could've been rejected, after all!"

The trio laughed once more, glad that no one was around to hear about them being played for fools.

"Well then, comrades, shall we get a move on? As pleasant a break this was, we have duties to attend!" Owain said as he started walking towards camp. However, he stopped once he realized his friends weren't following him. "What?"

"I think it's time you told us what you were doing out here." Gerome said, holding up his mask to prove he had already confessed.

Owain laughed nervously. "I-I was just coming up with some new special moves!"

"Impossible, we would've heard you. You always shout whenever you do that." Inigo pointed out. "Now, time to spill the beans."

With a defeated sigh, Owain took out a couple of gems out of his pockets. "Morgan forced me to find gemstones to prove our bonds as fated allies of destiny!"

Inigo and Gerome looked at each other, only to start laughing seconds later, much to Owain's dismay.

"What is wrong with us? We have a war to fight and instead we end up in the middle of a forest, laughing at ourselves for being ridiculed by the same woman!" Inigo said with a grin as he started to walk towards their camp.

Gerome put a hand on the dancer's shoulder. "I suppose everyone needs a break every now and again."

Owain nodded sagely. "Truer words were never spoken! But surely now Morgan will see that we are fated comrades-in-arms!"

"There's no doubt about that." Inigo agreed. "But I would watch out for her father...I swear I could feel his gaze on my every single time we've been talking. There must be safer date alternatives here..."

Gerome hummed. "Now that you mention it, I did feel like I was being watched when I was talking to Morgan...maybe I should lie low once I've told her I tried one of her masks."

Owain looked shocked. "B-But my love for Morgan is strictly platonic! We're going to be an unstoppable force of justice on the battlefield, not lovers! Surely Robin wouldn't get mad at me for trying to improve morale and combat efficiency! ...Right?"

"I don't know, gemstones are pretty romantic..." Inigo said, patting his friend on the back.

Owain's face grew pale as he gulped nervously.

After a few minutes of walking in silence, Inigo decided it was time to ask the question that had been on his mind since he ran into his friends. "So what DID happen in Ylisstol, Gerome?"

The rest of the journey was filled with bickering, laughter and teasing.

...

AN: And later that day, they all found out that Robin had assigned them to early morning training rounds with Frederick and Lon'qu.

So, who or what should I write about next? Tell me in a review!


	4. Tactician's Guilt

Morgan lay on the cot in her tent with her hands behind her head, staring up at the ceiling with a vacant expression. What was keeping her up wasn't the occasional soldier leaving his tent to do his business, or even the several Shepherds who vastly overestimated their stealthing abilities as they sneaked into their loved ones' tents.

No, what was keeping her awake was herself.

She kept replaying the same scene in her head over and over, looking for something, anything that could absolve her of her guilt, but she found none. What had occurred was her fault and hers alone, and others had paid the price.

The price for her stupidity.

She shifted into a more comfortable position and closed her eyes, trying to focus on the drunk soldier outside singing an outrageously dirty song to escape from her thoughts. However, that proved to be but a temporary distraction as someone, suddenly and probably pretty violently, made him stop.

Frustrated that her surprisingly amusing distraction was gone, Morgan sat up, reached for whatever book was within reach and started reading, hoping it would be boring enough to put her to sleep. Or maybe she'd accidentally drop it on her face and pass out, but she was never that lucky.

Her train of thoughts was interrupted by a voice coming from outside the entrance to her tent.

"Morgan? May I come in?" it asked quietly.

She immediately recognized the voice as her father's, and her feelings of shame and guilt returned with a fiery passion. It took her a moment to collect herself, but she managed to respond in a normal manner. "Of course, Father!"

Robin entered the the tent, flashed a smile and sat down on the only chair, which was placed in front of a miniature, rather messy desk. "Good evening, honey. Is everything all right?"

Morgan shrugged, hoping she looked more confident than she was. "I'm fine, thanks. Was there anything you needed of me?"

Robin nodded once, slowly, then pointed at his daughter and smiled. "I see you're still wearing that pajamas I bought you, I knew you'd like it."

Morgan giggled. "'The Pajamas of Chastity', you mean? Seriously, this would keep me warm in the middle of the Ferox wastelands!"

"Well I wouldn't want my daughter to get cold..." Robin said, looking as innocent as he could.

"Uh-huh...and the real reason?" Morgan asked wryly.

"Wh-What's with these ridiculous accusations? I'm shocked and appalled that my only daughter would...okay, I sort of maybe kind of wanted you to wear something a bit bulkier to scare off the boys." Robin confessed with his head low.

Morgan nodded slowly, as her father usually did when he appeared to be thinking something over. "And what boy would that be? Anyone in camp or all the stalkers you've conjured up in your mind?"

"Well I..." Robin began.

"Also, how come Owain, Gerome and Inigo freeze and make up lame excuses to leave every time I try to talk to them? Also, they're all limping for some strange reason." Morgan asked, folding her arms.

Robin pursed his lips. "I might have put them on early training sessions..."

"Oh, Father..."

"...With Frederick and Lon'qu."

"FATHER!" Morgan half-yelled half-laughed. "That's awful! You'll scare away all my friends!"

Robin raised his hands defensively. "That's simply not true!"

"All my MALE friends." Morgan clarified, trying to sound threatening but failing miserably.

"...Would that be so bad?" Robin asked carefully.

The two started laughing, louder than they should considering the time of the day, but they didn't care at the moment. As the laughter died down, they sat in comfortable silence for a little while. Morgan felt a lot better at this point, but wondered whether or not she should talk to her father about what had happened in their last battle.

Once again, before she could finish her train of thought, Robin spoke, although this time his tone was a lot more serious. "Morgan, the reason I came her tonight wasn't to talk about my fear of you spending time with boys."

"O-Oh?" Was all she said, playing with her hair nervously. "What did you want to talk about?"

Robin sighed. "Chrom told me everything about our last battle...your debut if you will."

"F-Father, please..."

"We both agreed that the best option would be to split up our forces into two groups. However, I couldn't possibly be at two different locations at the same time, so I suggested you'd take command of the northern section of the battlefield." Robin continued needlessly, Morgan still remembered this clearly. However, she didn't have the energy to interrupt him.

"And it went swimmingly, I thought. Trust me, had I heard about what had happened sooner, I would have talked to you earlier." Robin said.

"Yeah, I know." Morgan all but whispered.

"Morgan, these things happen..." Robin said.

That caught Morgan by surprise, but not in a good way. For some reason all of her guilt turned into sadness and anger, which she directed at her father.

"These things happen?! THESE THINGS HAPPEN?! Father, I sent FIFTY PEOPLE TO THEIR DEATHS!" Morgan shouted as tears started making their way down her cheeks.

Her screams didn't appear to faze Robin, who crossed his arms and leaned back in the chair. "Did you, now? Knowingly?"

"OF COURSE NOT!" Morgan yelled, probably waking up half the camp. "B-But I should have known...I should have KNOWN they'd guard their spellcasters better, but I got careless! But if I hadn't acted, they might have decimated our cavalry!"

Robin nodded slowly, which for some reason infuriated his daughter. Strange, considering she was normally a fan of all of his quirks. "And how would you have known they kept assassins nearby? It sounds to me like you did the right thing."

"How can you say that?! How can you even say that?! The men and women I sent didn't stand a chance! They were cut down and...and..." Morgan said, but couldn't finish the sentence. Horrible images flooded back into her mind. Panicked, she ran out of the tent, tackling a soldier who was waiting outside to see what all the commotion was all about.

Robin calmly walked out of the tent and apologized. He assured the few onlookers that everything was fine, and that they should all go back to sleep while he dealt with his daughter.

**...**

Morgan sat down on a hill who knows how far away from camp. She was still crying and her lungs were on fire, but she was glad to be alone again. She looked up at the innumerable stars in the sky and took a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm down. Her troubles felt small and insignificant compared to the lights that dotted the sky above.

She closed her eyes and tried not to think of anything in particular. Her breathing was back to normal, but she now had to face another very real problem; she had screamed at her father who was only trying to help her. She had first failed him on the battlefield and then practically dishonored him in public. She felt disgusted just thinking about her behavior.

"Hello again, sweetie." Robin suddenly said, scaring his daughter. He was riding a horse, which made her wonder how far she had actually run.

"Ah, Father! I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry! You were only trying to help and I..." Morgan began, desperate to be forgiven by her parent and idol.

Robin quickly dismounted and gave her a hug, which she felt she didn't deserve.

"H-How can you forgive me so easily? I failed as a tactician and yelled at you for trying to help me..." Morgan asked, perplexed.

"Do you really think I'd just leave my baby girl alone with such dark thoughts? All for a little shouting? That hurts." Robin said with a small smile. When Morgan didn't offer any response, he continued. "It's a heavy burden to be a tactician. You have to order people you may know to do incredibly dangerous things, and sometimes...they don't come back."

"But my plan accomplished NOTHING, Father, and everyone knows it! One of the army's blacksmiths spat me in the face and cursed my name! I sent his wife to her death, Father!" Morgan said, still not willing to part from Robin's hug.

"And Lissa punched me right in the face when I didn't manage to rescue the Exalt. A lot more than 50 people died that day, and I felt like I had failed not only my two best friends, but also the entire nation which took me in when I had nothing." Robin explained slowly, tightening his hold of his daughter. "But we managed to turn things around in the end. We won the war not much later, and Lissa and I are closer friends than ever. All she needed was time to deal with her grief, and if that meant I had to be the scapegoat for a while, then that was fine by me."

Morgan was quiet. Her father talked about his greatest failure with such ease, but she didn't think he took it lightly, but rather made sure to learn something from the horrible experience. They broke the hug and Robin looked at her expectantly.

"Do you understand why I'm telling you this?"

"I think so...you want me to learn from this, don't you? That this will somehow be a valuable experience for me?" Morgan asked, although she was confident she knew the answer.

"Right you are, pumpkin." Robin said with a proud smile as he ruffled her hair, which made her giggle softly. "Look, I'm glad you're reacting the way you are, trust me. It makes you human. However, you can't let things like this break you; we WILL both send soldiers to their deaths again. Fortunately, we can learn from our past mistakes and prepare ourselves accordingly so that we may save as many as we possibly can."

Morgan nodded. "I understand, Father. Thank you, I needed to hear this."

Robin smiled. "I know, I also needed some pep talk after my failure in Plegia. But enough about the past; how about I give you a ride 'home'?"

"Thank you, I'd appreciate that...my damn feet hurt."

"Language, young lady."

The duo climbed up on the horse and made their way back to camp.

"I'm very warm though, so I guess I'm glad you bought this stupid pajamas." Morgan said, laughing softly.

"See? I told you. But I'm still not going to let those three little stalkers get off their punishment just yet."

"Father!"

**...**

**AN:** Poor Gerome, Owain and Inigo...

Maybe a bit darker and cheesier than what I normally write, but I figured it can't all be happiness and sunshine all the time. I hope managed to portray Morgan and Robin well, and that they're very close.

Hm, I've had two women in my story so far and they've both been crying...I think I'll have to remedy that; how about a chapter where Lucina (or someone else?) kicks major ass?

I also want to write something where Severa gets called out on her attitude, but I'm not sure where to begin with that, or who would to the out-calling. Also, I want Henry to dance...he strikes me as someone who would be a surprisingly good dancer.

Also, as you may have noticed by now, I tend to not mention non-canon parents. Chrom, for instance, will always be Lucina's father, but since her mother can differ depending on who you paired Chrom up with, I find it unnecessary to specify whom he married. Not to mention a lot of people could get angry...

As always, please tell me what you thought and what you think I should write about next!


	5. Tea Leaves and Knuckle Sandwiches

"Now, darling, there are many, many important factors to consider when choosing the perfect tea leaves, so I want you to follow my lead." Maribelle ordered, approaching the small stand with the same air of elegance that seemed to surround her constantly.

Noire, who had been forced to accompany the noblewoman since 'ladies do not go shopping alone', nodded nervously.

Maribelle carefully looked at all the tiny boxes spread out on the stand, her gaze so concentrated and knowledgeable that the big, burly merchant started to look uneasy. After several long minutes of silence, Maribelle turned to her escort.

"What we have here is an exceptional selection, all things considered. Really, I'm surprised this little hamlet has managed to get their hands on such fine wares."

"H-How do you know? It just looks like...leaves to me." Noire said, genuinely curious.

Maribelle wagged her finger and gestured for Noire to take a closer look. "If you'd be so kind as to divert your attention over here. Not only are there several different kinds of tea here, but the quality is sublime as well. The leaves are mostly unbroken, which means the tea will not be overwhelmingly bitter. One also has to consider the smell; the green leaves in particular shoud always have a fresh, light smell to it. And last but not least, the leaves are smooth, not coarse. All in all, this will make for a fine blend."

"Bloody hell..." The merchant muttered, apparently surprised that he possessed such quality wares.

Maribelle threw the merchant a nasty glare. "Language! You are in the presence of two ladies!"

"Y-Yes ma'am! So sorry, ma'am!" He replied, looking straight forward.

Noire looked closer at the tea and tried smelling it. "I think I might understand what you're talking about, milady."

"Darling, no need for formalities, we're both Shepherds, and I'm just glad you're taking my little lecture to heart." Maribelle said with a small smile. "Now, what leaves do you think would taste the best for a beautiful day such as this?"

"Oh, I...um..." Noire said, fiddling nervously with her fingers. "I-I guess...something...thirst-quenching? I mean, it's very hot today..."

Maribelle nodded with her eyes closed, mulling the suggestion over. "I think that would be a splendid idea! Maybe something with citrus...yes, I do admit that would fit perfectly today. Merchant, did you hear? Get to it!"

After bossing the increasingly flustered merchant around for a while, the pair left the stand with several small brown bags of the finest tea leaves they could find. Maribelle opened her tiny umbrella to shield herself from the sun and started humming a tune.

"Um, Maribelle..." Noire said quietly, careful as ever.

"Yes, darling?"

"How...I mean..."

"Hm? Speak up now, my dear!"

Noire swallowed audibly, cheeks reddening. "How are you so...strong? I mean, y-you're never nervous, you know wh-what you want, and you still manage to look so...classy, doing it. Could you...teach me?"

Maribelle stopped walking and looked at the meek archer with wide eyes. "Oh my, how are you not married yet, with that silver tongue of yours?" She said with a cheeky smile she most likely picked up from Lissa. "I would be honored to teach you how to act and speak properly, but first you must do something for me."

"What would that be?" Noire said, dreading the answer.

"You need to get some confidence, darling! I do declare, you are so frail I'm afraid a gust of wind would blow you away!" Maribelle said.

Noire nodded. "I-I'll try..."

Maribelle shook her head. "Not good enough! Why would you ever doubt yourself? What could you possibly stand to gain? Not only are you absolutely beautiful, but also a talented archer and a kinder soul than I will ever be. Honestly, I'm almost a bit jealous."

Noire's face turned beet red. "I'm not...I mean, I...you really think so?"

"Honey, a noblewoman never lies. You simply have to learn not to let the world bring you down. It's healthy to have a second opinion every once and a while, but you'll kill yourself if you care too much about what others say." Maribelle explained as the duo walked into an alley.

Before Noire had a chance to respond to Maribelle's advice, a skinny man with oily black hair cut off their path and pulled out a knife. "Why hello there, ladies."

"EEEEEEK!" Was Noire's only reply.

"That's right, love, you should be afraid, 'cause I'll use this here knife to cut up that pretty little face of yers if you don't hand over your money and stuff!" The thug said, walking closer to the two Shepherds.

Maribelle, on the other hand, was completely unfazed. "Darling, consider this lesson number two in how to act like a lady; never let the world bring you down."

"Whatcha talkin' 'bout?" The thug asked, looking at Maribelle perplexedly.

"What I mean is that life sometimes rises up to challenge you, and when it does..." Maribelle said, suddenly knocking the knife out of the bandit's hand, then delivering a kick to his stomach and a punch that knocked his head into a nearby wall, knocking him out. "...you just have to step up and beat it down again."

"By the gods, that was incredible!" Noire said, mouth agape. "H-How did you...?"

"Oh, it was just a few moves I picked up from Lon'qu's and Frederick's morning sessions. I heard a few of your friends were stuck there now, poor souls."

Noire nodded. "I believe Robin sent them there after they talked to his daughter..."

Maribelle let out a restrained, classy laugh. "That is so like him. And I understand; I wouldn't want that adorable little thing to be befouled by boys...but I think I'll pull som strings and have them released from their torment, nobody deserves to suffer like that."

Noire let out a laugh, which sounded like a nervous giggle. "Y-You're going to show me how to do that too, right? I mean, beat down thugs like that?"

Maribelle flashed a devilish smile. "Darling, just try and stop me."

**...**

**AN**: A quick little story about one of my favorite female characters; Maribelle. She dominates practically every conversation she's in, all while being classy, thoughtful and hilarious.

I'm not that proud of the story. It's not that fun or thought-provoking, so just consider it a support conversation that never made it into the game, or something like that. This story badly needed some ass-kicking women, though, so at least I managed to accomplish that.

I also want to write about Henry, Severa, Tiki and Cynthia next, but I'm not yet sure what they'd actually do - I only know that I want someone to talk some sense into Severa, and that Henry is a good dancer. Noire will also probably get another little story again soon, considering that she didn't do anything here.

I like establishing 'facts' that could very well be canon, like Chrom sucking at poker and Lon'qu and Frederick drilling new recruits every morning. Also, Owain, Gerome and Inigo will finally be released from their misery - maybe Morgan will finally be able to talk to boys again!

As always, any good ideas are always appreciated. Just remember that I prefer not to write about non-canon parents.


End file.
